Assignment, Fall 2015
Submitted by –
Protik Neogi

Kaizen
The term Kaizen is known as continuous improvement which basically a long term approach to work systematically seeks to achieve small incremental changes in process in order to improve efficiency and quality. Kaizen can be applied to any kind of work, but it is perhaps best known for being used in lean manufacturing and lean programming. If a work environment practices kaizen, continuous improvement is the responsibility of every worker, not just a selected few. This word bassically came from Japan which mean "good change''. One approach to continuous, incremental improvem47ent is called kaizen. It originated in Japan and the word translates to mean change (kai) for the good (zen).
Kaizen is based on the philosophical belief that everything can be improve. Some organizations look at a process and see that it's running fine; Organizations that follow the principle of Kaizen see a process that can be improved. This means that nothing is ever seen as a status quo – there are continuous efforts to improve which result in small, often imperceptible, changes over time. These incremental changes add up to substantial changes over the longer term, without having to go through any radical innovation. It can be a much gentler and employee-friendly way to institute the changes that must occur as a business grows and adapts to its changing environment. Because Kaizen is more a philosophy than a specific tool, its approach is found in many different process improvement methods ranging from Total Quality Management (TQM), to the use of employee suggestion boxes. Under kaizen, all employees are responsible for identifying the gaps and inefficiencies and everyone, at every level in the organization, suggests where improvement can take place.
Implementing Kaizen
1. Create constancy of purpose toward improvement of product and service, with the aim to become competitive and to stay in business and to provide jobs adopt the new philosophy.
2. The need for inspection on a mass basis by building quality into the product in the first place and end the practice of awarding business on the basis of price tag. Instead, minimize total cost. 3. Improve constantly and forever the system of production and service to improve quality and productivity and thus constantly decrease costs and institute training on job. 4. Institute leadership. The aim of supervision should be to help people and machines and gadgets to do a better job. 5. Drive out fear so that everyone may work effectively for the company.
6. Break down barriers between departments. People in research, design, sales and production must work as a team to foresee problems of production and use of the product or service.
7. Eliminate asking for zero defects and new levels of productivity. Such exhortations only create adversarial relationships as the bulk of the causes of low quality and low productivity belong to the system and thus lie beyond the power of the work force. 8. Remove barriers that rob the hourly worker of his right to pride of workmanship and Remove barriers that rob people in management and in engineering of their right to pride of workmanship. 9. Put everybody in the company to work to accomplish the transformation. The transformation is everybody's job.
Kaizen aims for improvements in productivity, effectiveness, safety, and waste reduction, and those who follow the approach often find a whole lot more in return:
Benefits of Kaizen Less waste – inventory is used more efficiently as are employee skills. People are more satisfied – they have a direct impact on the way things are done. Improved commitment – team members have more of a stake in their job and are more inclined to commit to doing a good job. Improved retention – satisfied and engaged people are more likely to stay. Improved competitiveness – increases in efficiency tend to contribute to lower costs and higher quality products. Improved consumer satisfaction – coming from higher quality products with fewer faults. Improved problem solving – looking at processes from a solutions perspective allows employees to solve problems continuously. Improved teams – working together to solve problems helps build and strengthen existing teams.
The kaizen philosophy was developed to improve manufacturing processes, and it is one of the elements which led to the success of Japanese manufacturing through high quality and low costs. In Western workplaces, a "kaizen blitz" is synonymous with a concentrated effort to make quick changes that will help achieve a short-term goal. However, you can gain the benefits of the kaizen approach in many other working environments too, and at both a personal level or for your whole team or organization. Much of the focus in kaizen is on reducing "waste" and this waste takes several forms:.